Contents

Origins

Anabaptists

The
Mennonite movement was a reform movement of
Anabaptist origins begun by
Swiss Brethren and soon thereafter finding greater cohesion based on the teachings of
Menno Simons 1496–1561, and the 1632
Dordrecht Confession of Faith. The Amish movement was a reform movement within the Mennonite movement, based on the teachings of
Jacob Ammann, who perceived a lack of discipline within the Mennonites movement by those trying to avoid prosecution. Ammann argued that
Romans 12:2 prohibited that.

Quakers

William Penn, having experienced
religious persecution as a
Quaker, offered asylum to others who were suffering religious persecution, an offer that many followers of Jacob Ammann accepted, starting with the Detweiler and Sieber families, who settled in
Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1736. Many of them settled near
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which offered some of the most productive non-irrigated farmland in the world. By 1770, the Amish migration had largely ceased.

Early
Methodists wore plain dress, with clergy condemning "high headdresses, ruffles, laces, gold, and 'costly apparel' in general".[10] In his sermon On Dress, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, expressed his desire for Methodists to wear plain clothing in the manner practiced by Quakers: "Let me see, before I die, a Methodist congregation, full as plain dressed as a Quaker congregation."[11]Peter Cartwright, a Methodist
revivalist, noted the gradual decline of wearing plain dress among Methodists;[12] today, members of denominations in the
conservative holiness movement, such as the
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and
Evangelical Wesleyan Church, continue to dress plainly,[13][14] sometimes including abstention of wearing of jewelry, such as wedding rings.[15]

Plain customs

Customs of Plain people include:

Plain clothes, usually in solid, normally dark colors.

Plain church buildings, or no church buildings whatsoever.

A utilitarian view of technology, similar to the
precautionary principle of technology in that unknowns should be avoided, but the emphasis was on the results in the eyes of God. If they were unsure of how God would look upon a technology, the leaders of the church would determine whether it was to be avoided or not.[17] The degree to which this principle was supported varied among the congregations, but in general, the Amish people believed that the Mennonites had not done enough to separate themselves from the rest of the
world.

Religious practices

Anabaptist Plain groups typically have a
bishop presiding over one congregation (
Amish) or over a district (group of congregations) (
Old Order Mennonites). Mennonites mostly meet in church buildings, but most Amish meet in members' homes. Services among Amish and Plain Mennonites are mostly held in
Pennsylvania German, a language closely related to
Palatinate German, with extra vocabulary. Bishops are commonly chosen by lot as a reflection of God's will. While the Bishop tends to be influential, he tends to rule by building consensus rather than by issuing edicts.

Most Anabaptist Plain groups have an
Ordnung that among other things regulates clothing. The
Ordnung is a largely unwritten code of behavior, covering such items as clothing, vehicles, and the use of technology. The Ordnung varies slightly from congregation to congregation, though is in essence the same. Violations are not considered sins, although wilfulness is considered to be a serious violation of the faith. The congregation can change the Ordnung if there is a majority to do so. Exemptions to the Ordnung can be provided. In one instance, one farmer was granted permission to buy a modern
tractor since he had arthritis and no children to help him harness horses.

Trends

The Old Order Amish are among the fastest-growing populations in the world. They have low
infant mortality rates. The average Amish woman can expect to have at least seven live births.[18][dubious –
discuss] Other Plain sects with the same or similar doctrines can be expected to have similarly explosive growth.

Despite this, the
Pennsylvania Dutch, which includes Amish, Old Order Mennonite, and Conservative Mennonites are expected to become a smaller percentage of the population as the sects respond to high prices of farmland by spreading out all over the United States and internationally, and the English (the Amish
exonym for non-Amish persons regardless of ancestry) population spreads out from Philadelphia into suburban and rural areas. Donald Kraybill believes there are Plain sect communities in 47 states.

Most Anabaptist Plain sects do not admit children to their church, and impose no sanctions on those who do not join, but
shun those who fall away from the church once becoming a member. Among some groups of Old Order Amish, teenagers who are not yet baptized are not bound by the rules and go through a period of rumspringa, often with a certain amount of misbehavior that would not otherwise be tolerated.

The Plain sects typically prohibit insurance, and they assist each other charitably in case of sickness, accident, or property damage. Internal Revenue Service Form 4029[21] allows one to claim exemption to
Social Security taxes under certain very restrictive conditions, and members of the Plain groups neither pay these taxes nor receive death, disability, or retirement benefits from social security.

^"I. The Church". Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection.
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. Should we insist on plain and modest dress? Certainly. We should not on any account spend what the Lord has put into our hands as stewards, to be used for His glory, in expensive wearing apparel, when thousands are suffering for food and raiment, and millions are perishing for the Word of life. Let the dress of every member of every Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church be plain and modest. Let the strictest carefulness and economy be used in these respects.